Sam Bayford’s first half double helped Halls AFC defeat Lydd Town at home in their entertaining Southern Counties East Football League Division One encounter.
He took just four minutes to open his account for the afternoon. Noah Hamelberg had a shot blocked out to Bayford and he struck it first time from the edge of the penalty area giving Lydd goalkeeper Tom Benham no chance.
Junior Banjoko then sent Sam Doyle away and his shot was deflected wide however, eight minutes after going behind, the visitors levelled. A free kick was knocked out as far as Charlie Gill and he made no mistake with a clean strike.
Hamelberg cut in and had a low shot saved before a Bayford screamer from thirty yards looked destined for the top corner until Benham made a stunning diving save to tip it over. Joe Freeman then met a corner and headed it goalwards and Doyle tried to deflect it in with his head but Benham read it well and made the catch look easy.
An injury to Teddy Weight made Lydd’s task tougher and he was replaced by Bailey Korkis. The next injury, four minutes later, was even more dramatic. Referee Kennedy Kukulwe pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring error. Fortunately, an Essex ground-hopper named Ed Smith had announced himself as a qualified referee on arrival so, after a nine minute break, he took a flag and assistant Luke Broom took over as referee.
Just four minutes after restarting play the replacement referee brandished the first yellow card of the afternoon to Lydd’s Paldon Bepe before Doyle hooked a shot just wide after two of the visitors’ defenders had failed to head clear.
In the first of the eleven minutes of stoppage time, Halls went back ahead when Bayford turned brilliantly in the penalty area before firing into the bottom corner. Three minutes later, the hosts scored again. Ben Martin played it in to Gergo Petrovecs, and he hooked it home on the turn.
Although, the second half was a quieter affair, there were still goalscoring opportunities at each end. Daniel Smithers had to be alert to catch a Joseph Hughes diagonal cross that might have given the goalkeeper greater problems had it got a touch on the way through before Freeman headed just past the post at the other end when meeting a Mark Adofo dead ball delivery.
Kurtis Hooper rose unchallenged in the Halls penalty area but headed straight into the arms of Smithers before Hamelberg burst through and drew a good save out of Benham. Bepe cut in and shot, drawing a great save out of Smithers then Halls came close again when Freeman hooked Hamelberg’s corner wide of the near post.
Substitutions caused the game to become disjointed and neither goalkeeper was called into serious action again although veteran striker Ryan Golding had an opportunity late on. He brought down a long clearance by Smithers superbly, but surprisingly, scuffed his shot on the turn from twenty yards and he failed to trouble Benham.
Victory extended the hosts’ league and cup run to four wins whilst Lydd’s win-less sequence stretches back to August.
Halls AFC: Smithers; Horwick, Kimberley (Ramsey 87), Freeman, Adofo; Petrovics (Dadds 69), Hamelberg; Martin (Manning 78), Bayford, Banjoko (Amusan 81); Doyle (Golding 75).Unused subs: None.
Goalscorers: Bayford (4), (45+1), Petrovics (45+4)
Yellow card: Adofo (49 foul)
Lydd Town: Benham; Bayford, Kemp, A. Coyne, Hughes; Robbins (Belsey 53), Hooper; Weight (Korkis 20), Lane (C. Coyne 75), Bepe (Page 65); Gill. Unused subs: None.
Goalscorer: Gill (12)
Yellow cards: Bepe (37 foul), Kemp (63 delay of restart)
Referee: Kennedy Kukulwe
Assistants: Alec Spoyer and Luke Broom
Attendance: 112